Don't Minimize Government Terror in Salvador; While Justice Sleeps

Published: July 30, 1989

To the Editor:

Vice President Dan Quayle's praise for the alleged establishment of a ''vigorous democratic system'' in El Salvador (Op-Ed, July 16) represents an egregious devaluation of the term democracy. A fundamental feature of democracy, as it is known in this country, is a system of checks and balances among executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The impotence of El Salvador's judicial system, despite the infusion of more than $1 million of United States aid a day over the last eight years, purportedly for the promotion of democracy, does not appear to disturb Mr. Quayle.

He congratulates himself on influencing the military to turn nine officers and soldiers over to civilian courts for their suspected involvement in a massacre of peasants. However, not a single officer has been convicted of human rights abuses in the nine-year civil war in El Salvador, despite thousands of civilian deaths and human rights abuses attributed to the military.

Furthermore, that the judge in the case pursued by Mr. Quayle has called four of the detained men ''scapegoats'' (news story, March 13) strongly suggests that the Salvadoran justice system will remain dormant despite Mr. Quayle. CATHERINE A. O'BRIAN Houston, July 16, 1989